Re: Marni's project/internet restriction

["James W. Neal" <jwnlpsd@PRIMENET.COM>]

Ken,
I have been around librarians who relished the task of "selection" because
they used the process to censor materials.  I was very fortunate to have
taken Selection at Central Missouri State under Dr. Helmick.  She taught us
that it is a very thoughtful process.

We also spent a lot of time talking about the concept of having unlimited
resources and how or if the 'Selection" process would change.  I believe
that in the "Ideal" library with unlimited resources we would want to
provide a copy of everything ever produced.

I guess I would qualify as being a bigot because I have such little
tolerance for those who know what other people "should" be reading. But I
often wonder if on May 10, 1933, in Berlin, when the Nazis started the first
of a series of book burnings (can this possibly be compared to censorship or
even selection?) the Nazi hierarchy wasn't convinced that what they were
doing was in the "best interests" of the German population?

I think that as librarians we are forced (or simply acquiesce) to live with
the reality that we are dependent on others for the funding necessary to
keep our libraries open and stocked with the materials we have.  Because we
have VERY limited resources and because our Media Center's Mission Statement
says we will support the curricular needs of our school community patrons,
we  concentrate on the pragmatic role and do the best we can to fill those
curricular needs.  We never get to fill the curricular needs of our school
communities, let alone delve into the esoteric arena of what the "what
should be's."

In my opinion we are forced into selection only because we have limited
resources and fulfilling curricular needs are the highest priority.

I hope that at some point we can teach about individual responsibility and
situation appropriateness.

Sorry for taking a nickel's time to throw in my $.02.

Jim

The object of teaching a child is to enable the child to get along without
the teacher. Anon.
We need to educate our children for their future, not our past.  Arthur C.
Clark
Jim Neal
Library Media Specialist/District Grant Writer
http://parkhill.k12.mo.us/hs/media/media_center.htm
nealj@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Park Hill High School
7701 NW Barry Rd
Kansas City, MO  64153
http://www.primenet.com/~jwnlpsd
Webmaster: LM_NET On the Web
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-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Umbach <kumbach@UNLIMITED.NET>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, April 07, 1998 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: Marni's project/internet restriction


>Hi ...
>
>At 09:13 AM 4/7/98 -0400, Chris Finer wrote:
>...
>>I am firmly convinced that we do our students no favors by artificially
>>restricting their internet access.
>
>Why not?  Librarians "artificially restrict" students' access to printed
>materials, videos, etc., right?  That is, I doubt very much that your
>library includes Penthouse, Hustler, the Weekly World News, etc., or the
>ravings of the KKK or American Nazi Party (or even religious tracts such as
>Watchtower and Awake), or would even if someone were to donate them.  For
>that matter, "weeding" is a big topic on this list, and what is weeding but
>a process of DEselection of material ALREADY in the collection (and
>sometimes deselecting (read: censoring) clearly for purposes of political
>correctness)?
>
>>Finally, the American Library Association puts it simply and very clearly:
>>"The American Library Association affirms that the use of filtering
>>software by libraries to block access to constitutionally protected speech
>>violates the Library Bill of Rights."  Couldn't say it better myself.
>
>And what do they say about the "filtering" activities of *librarians* in
>selecting materials to purchase, accept, and retain?  (And don't try to
>slide by with some line about limited budgets ... you COULD give up that
>extra copy of The Collected Works of Judy Blume in exchange for
>subscriptions to The National Enquirer and other supermarket tabloids if
the
>collection is truly open to all constitutionally protected speech.)
>
>It seems to me that there is a major disconnect and much confusion in
>analysis of the librarian's (and library's) role in selecting (read:
>filtering) the collection in the age of the Internet.  It is not so simple
>as a recitation of bromides about "constititionally protected speech."
>
>
>Ken
>:::donning flame-proof long-johns:::
>--
>Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D., Policy Analyst
>California Research Bureau, California State Library
>900 N. Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, California 95814
>E-mail: kumbach@unlimited.net (or kumbach@library.ca.gov)
>Phone (voice) 916-653-6002 (fax) 916-654-5829
>Personal Web page and selected papers:
http://members.unlimited.net/~kumbach
>This message reflects my opinion, not that of my employer or anyone else.
>
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